Hereford, Texas
Encyclopedia
Hereford is a city in Deaf Smith County, Texas
, United States
. The population was 14,597 at the 2000 census. It is the only incorporated Hereford
in the country. It is the county seat
of Deaf Smith County.
Hereford's local water supply contains an unusually high level of naturally occurring fluorine
. Because fluoride
is used to protect against tooth decay, Hereford earned the title "The Town Without a Toothache". High levels of fluoride consumed by longtime or younger residents may result in staining.
It is also known as the "Beef Capital of the World" because of the large number of cattle fed in the area. The city is named for the Hereford breed
. The local economy is affected significantly by growth in the dairy and ethanol
industries.
The area is known for its semiarid climate with heavy farming and ranching throughout the area sustained by irrigation from the Ogallala Aquifer
and the saltier Santa Rosa Aquifer beneath it.
Hereford is home to the headquarters of the Deaf Smith Electric Cooperative
, which serves Deaf Smith, Castro, Parmer, and Oldham counties.
A rich Western heritage includes the Las Escarbadas ranch house of the XIT Ranch
located southwest of Hereford in Deaf Smith County. The restored historic structure can now be seen at the National Ranching Heritage Center
at Texas Tech University
. The Deaf Smith County Historical Museum
at 400 Sampson Street in Hereford offers indoor and outdoor exhibits on the settlement of West Texas.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 5.6 square miles (14.5 km²), all of it land.
, meaning it is semi-arid
.
of 2000, there were 14,597 people, 4,839 households, and 3,730 families residing in the city. The population density
was 2,600.8 people per square mile (1,004.6/km²). There were 5,323 housing units at an average density of 948.4 per square mile (366.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 69.86% White, 1.76% African American, 0.82% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 24.77% from other races
, and 2.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 61.37% of the population.
There were 4,839 households out of which 42.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.4% were married couples
living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.9% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 3.44.
In the city the population was spread out with 34.0% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,599, and the median income for a family was $33,387. Males had a median income of $26,488 versus $18,920 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $12,787. About 19.4% of families and 20.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.9% of those under age 18 and 15.8% of those age 65 or over.
.
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 14,597 at the 2000 census. It is the only incorporated Hereford
Hereford (disambiguation)
-Geography:United Kingdom* Hereford * Hereford and South Herefordshire United States* Hereford, Arizona* Hereford, Colorado* Hereford, Maryland* Hereford Zone, Maryland...
in the country. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Deaf Smith County.
Hereford's local water supply contains an unusually high level of naturally occurring fluorine
Fluorine
Fluorine is the chemical element with atomic number 9, represented by the symbol F. It is the lightest element of the halogen column of the periodic table and has a single stable isotope, fluorine-19. At standard pressure and temperature, fluorine is a pale yellow gas composed of diatomic...
. Because fluoride
Fluoride
Fluoride is the anion F−, the reduced form of fluorine when as an ion and when bonded to another element. Both organofluorine compounds and inorganic fluorine containing compounds are called fluorides. Fluoride, like other halides, is a monovalent ion . Its compounds often have properties that are...
is used to protect against tooth decay, Hereford earned the title "The Town Without a Toothache". High levels of fluoride consumed by longtime or younger residents may result in staining.
It is also known as the "Beef Capital of the World" because of the large number of cattle fed in the area. The city is named for the Hereford breed
Hereford (cattle)
Hereford cattle are a beef cattle breed, widely used both in intemperate areas and temperate areas, mainly for meat production.Originally from Herefordshire, England, United Kingdom, more than five million pedigree Hereford Cattle now exist in over 50 countries...
. The local economy is affected significantly by growth in the dairy and ethanol
Ethanol
Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is a psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs. Best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, it is also used in thermometers, as a...
industries.
The area is known for its semiarid climate with heavy farming and ranching throughout the area sustained by irrigation from the Ogallala Aquifer
Ogallala Aquifer
The Ogallala Aquifer, also known as the High Plains Aquifer, is a vast yet shallow underground water table aquifer located beneath the Great Plains in the United States...
and the saltier Santa Rosa Aquifer beneath it.
Hereford is home to the headquarters of the Deaf Smith Electric Cooperative
Deaf Smith Electric Cooperative
Deaf Smith Electric Cooperative, Inc. is a non-profit rural electric utility cooperative headquartered in Hereford, Texas. The cooperative was organized in 1936 and is a member of the Golden Spread Electric Cooperative...
, which serves Deaf Smith, Castro, Parmer, and Oldham counties.
A rich Western heritage includes the Las Escarbadas ranch house of the XIT Ranch
XIT Ranch
The XIT Ranch was a cattle ranch in the Texas Panhandle which operated from 1885 to 1912. Comprising over 3,000,000 acres of land, it ran for two hundred miles along the border with New Mexico, varying in width from 20 to 30 miles...
located southwest of Hereford in Deaf Smith County. The restored historic structure can now be seen at the National Ranching Heritage Center
National Ranching Heritage Center
The National Ranching Heritage Center, a museum of ranching history, is located on the campus of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. It features almost fifty authentic ranch buildings dating from the late 18th to the mid-20th century...
at Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
. The Deaf Smith County Historical Museum
Deaf Smith County Historical Museum
The Deaf Smith County Historical Museum in Hereford in Deaf Smith County, Texas, seeks to preserve the West Texas pioneer heritage with a collection of both indoor and outdoor exhibits. The county is named for Erastus "Deaf" Smith, a famous scout during the Texas Revolution.The museum was organized...
at 400 Sampson Street in Hereford offers indoor and outdoor exhibits on the settlement of West Texas.
Notable people
- Jesse Frank FordFrank Ford (farmer)Jesse Frank Ford, known as Frank Ford , was a Texas farmer and health-foods advocate who in 1960 founded Arrowhead Mills, the largest natural foods wholesaler in the United States. The company is based in Hereford, the seat of Deaf Smith County west of Amarillo in the Texas Panhandle...
, a nutritionistNutritionistA nutritionist is a person who advises on matters of food and nutrition impacts on health. Different professional terms are used in different countries, employment settings and contexts — some examples include: nutrition scientist, public health nutritionist, dietitian-nutritionist, clinical...
, began Arrowhead MillsArrowhead MillsArrowhead Mills is a brand of organic baking mixes, grains, cereals, and nut butters. The brand is owned Hain Celestial Group since 1999. Its consumer affairs department is based in Boulder, Colorado.-History:...
, a health-food company in Hereford in 1960. The company seeks to produce cornMaizeMaize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
and wheatWheatWheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
without the use of pesticidePesticidePesticides are substances or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest.A pesticide may be a chemical unicycle, biological agent , antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest...
s.
- Ron Ely, best remembered for his role as TarzanTarzanTarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
on an NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television series in the middle 1960s, was born in Hereford in 1938.
- Clint FormbyClint FormbyJohn Clinton Formby, known as Clint Formby , was a veteran radio broadcaster called the "Old Philosopher" based in the small city of Hereford, Texas, the seat of Deaf Smith County in the Texas Panhandle. His daily broadcast ran continuously on his KPAN AM & FM country-music station since October...
(1923–2010), radioRadioRadio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
broadcaster at KPAN AM&FMKPAN-FMKPAN-FM is a radio station broadcasting a country-music format. KPAN-FM is licensed to serve the community of Hereford, Texas, USA. The station is currently owned by KPAN Broadcasters....
in Hereford since 1955, had the longest running one-person program in radio history. The station was begun in 1948 by his uncle, Marshall FormbyMarshall FormbyMarshall Clinton Formby, Jr. , was a Texas attorney, newspaper publisher, radio executive, and a Democratic politician who served a term in the Texas State Senate from District 30 from 1941 to 1945. He was a defender of West Texas interests and entitled a 1962 book, These Are My People...
, a former state senator and highway commissioner from West TexasWest TexasWest Texas is a vernacular term applied to a region in the southwestern quadrant of the United States that primarily encompasses the arid and semi-arid lands in the western portion of the state of Texas....
. Clint Formby's wife, Margaret Clark FormbyMargaret FormbyMargaret Clark Formby was the daughter of southwest Texas ranchers who founded the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in the basement of the public library in Hereford in Deaf Smith County before she relocated the collection to Fort Worth.Formby was born to Fred and Mabel Clark in Van Horn...
(1929–2003), founded the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of FameNational Cowgirl Museum and Hall of FameThe National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame is a museum and association which honors women of the American West who have displayed courage or spirit and who have distinguished themselves while exemplifying the pioneer spirit...
in Hereford and relocated it to the larger tourist market in Fort WorthFort Worth, TexasFort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
.
- Edgar Mitchell (born September 17, 1930, in Hereford) is an American pilot and astronautAstronautAn astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
. As the lunar module pilot of Apollo 14Apollo 14Apollo 14 was the eighth manned mission in the American Apollo program, and the third to land on the Moon. It was the last of the "H missions", targeted landings with two-day stays on the Moon with two lunar EVAs, or moonwalks....
, he spent nine hours of February 9, 1971 moon-walking on the Fra Mauro formation, making him the sixth man to walk on the Moon.
- Oliver C. Thomas (1914–2008), a World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
prisoner of warPrisoner of warA prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
and LubbockLubbock, TexasLubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
businessman who served as president of the Texas Good Roads/Transportation Association, was born in Hereford and reared near DallasDallas, TexasDallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
.
Geography
Hereford is located at 34°49′19"N 102°23′55"W (34.821961, -102.398617).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 5.6 square miles (14.5 km²), all of it land.
Climate
Hereford's climate is classified as a steppe climate (BSk) using the 2006 map of Köppen climate classificationKöppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
, meaning it is semi-arid
Semi-arid
A semi-arid climate or steppe climate describes climatic regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not extremely...
.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 14,597 people, 4,839 households, and 3,730 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2,600.8 people per square mile (1,004.6/km²). There were 5,323 housing units at an average density of 948.4 per square mile (366.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 69.86% White, 1.76% African American, 0.82% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 24.77% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 61.37% of the population.
There were 4,839 households out of which 42.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.9% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 3.44.
In the city the population was spread out with 34.0% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,599, and the median income for a family was $33,387. Males had a median income of $26,488 versus $18,920 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $12,787. About 19.4% of families and 20.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.9% of those under age 18 and 15.8% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The first public school was opened in 1900. Today, Hereford's seven public schools serve around 4,000 students and are directed by the Hereford Independent School DistrictHereford Independent School District
Hereford Independent School District is a public school district based in Hereford, Texas .In 2009, the school district was rated "academically acceptable" by the Texas Education Agency.-Schools:*Hereford High School...
.